SSD Laptop Questions

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yeerk

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Hi,

I was thinking of replacing my current laptop with a laptop more suited to my current needs. Currently I have (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=552780&CatId=4938) which is fast when it is on (i7-2630QM, with GT540M processor) but anything requiring file access (booting, opening documents, etc) is mind-numbingly slow (due to the 5400 RPM HDD). Also the battery life is pretty bad (like 2 hours).

So I was thinking of getting a cheap laptop with good battery life (such as http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=933331&CatId=4965) and then swapping the HDD for a good SSD (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1083887&CatId=5300).

Would this be fast? I mainly use my laptop for word processing, web browsing and software development (with visual studio) so I figure my processor is not really being utilized, and so the main reason it is slow now is due to the HDD.

Also if possible it would be good to get a laptop with better than 1366 x 728 resolution, that still has a < 17" screen.

Thanks for the help!
 
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teleman56

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You actually have a couple of options.

If you don't frequently make use of your dvd drive, you can install a Drive Caddie.

http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2&zenid=6172dccc2979ef923134c26e0b303855

Setup a new SSD drive as your boot drive and load what primary programs you need most, and use your existing drive to store/load other programs too.

Swap out between the dvd and drave caddy is fairly simple, if sata drives.

The other option is to upgrade, as you are really wanting to do :sarcastic:

Personally I would recommend this machine
http://www.provantage.com/acer-lx-rcb02-010~7ACEN168.htm
and
add the Drive Caddy (above link) for the OEM drive
and
setup the SSD (which I'd recommend the OCZ Velocity 3 120gb)
and
use a program like VirtualClone drive ( http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html ) for keeping your cd/dvd's as iso images and just swap in your dvd player if needed. Free programs like Magic iso are very handy for that.

But it all comes down to what you want to spend and want.
 
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yeerk

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Thanks for the quick reply,

That's a really good idea, replacing the optical drive with another HDD, but I think I will still get another laptop as a really want an increased battery life.

I really want to buy the laptop you recommended, but I just don't think I can because it still has a small (relative) battery life. Basically the three most important things I want in order of importance are:

1) Speed (for the things I do, so basically just HDD speed)
2) Long battery life (over 5 hours)
3) Large screen resolution

Do you know if there are any 1600 x 900 screens with a long battery life?

Also just a side note, I was doing a lot of research on laptops and noticed virtually all just use SATA 2.0 (as their chipsets just support 3Gbit/s) which makes me think getting a SATA 3.0 SSD (which I think it what you meant by OCZ Velocity 3, which is really the OCZ Vertex 3?) unnecessary (and maybe not even work). Are there any laptops which support SATA 3.0 (and maybe even RAID 0) which are not massively expensive gaming laptops?

Oh and sorry for not mentioning it before, my budget is under 800 dollars for everything.

Thanks for your help with this.
 

teleman56

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yep, my bad, Vertex 3 :whistle:

BTW, I just added one to my Aspire 7741G and the hard drive caddy :bounce:

Don't know if you'll have much luck finding that kind of battery duration :(

Can't say I've noticed any SATA 3 yet, other than on machines like Sagar, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
 

yeerk

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Alright, thanks for the help. I think I will go with the refurbished notebook and upgrade the HDD to a Sata II SSD (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1413000&CatId=5300 more than likely).

Thanks for the help, I never thought up replacing the optical drive with another HDD and will probably build a RAID 0 laptop with SDDs in a couple years, but for now all I need (and can afford) is one. I might put in a 500GB HDD for data though.
 

teleman56

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just ran across the hard drive caddy a few days ago, they weren't sure about the model laptop and asked for some pictures. Sent them and the replied almost as fast.
Bought it the next day and was here in 2 days.
It's now in my laptop :)
 

teleman56

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Sadly the prices of hard drives has skyrocketted due to the flooding that occured in asia.
hopefully they will get the plants back up and running soon, and the hard drive prices back down to normal
 
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